Five Things We Learned from the Ravens' 27-23 win over the Atlanta Falcons

Karl Merton Ferron, Baltimore Sun

The Ravens offense is still searching for a rhythm. That's putting it kindly. The starting offense couldn't manage a single sustained drive while playing the entire first half. John Harbaugh looked exasperated on the sideline. Jim Caldwell had a death stare going in the booth. It was bad. Fans have spent most of the preseason fretting about the receiving situation, which we'll get to in a minute. But equally concerning Thursday was the offensive line's inability to establish command at the line of scrimmage. Playing without its best performer, guard Marshal Yanda, the line did a decent job protecting Joe Flacco. But Ray Rice had little room to run and appeared frustrated with right tackle Michael Oher after he was stuffed in the backfield late in the second quarter. The line play should get instantly better when Yanda, the best right guard in the league, returns. But the tackles remain a concern, with Bryant McKinnie working his way into shape and Oher still prone to mistakes in his fifth season. As for the receivers, they remain a mystery. Brandon Stokley donned his Ravens uniform for the first time Thursday, but we got no sense of whether he's the safety blanket Flacco needs in the absence of Dennis Pitta and Anquan Boldin. In fact, Flacco didn't target the veteran slot receiver once. The Falcons game was potentially important for tight end Visanthe Shiancoe (above), with new signee Dallas Clark likely to snatch much of the first-unit playing time next week against the Carolina Panthers. Shiancoe didn't seize the moment, dropping the one pass Flacco tossed his way (to be fair, it was an awkward throw). Perhaps Flacco was driven by frustration when he tried to force a pass to Jacoby Jones late in the second quarter. The resulting interception set up the Falcons' second touchdown. Halfway through the preseason, we simply have no idea whom Flacco will rely on beyond Torrey Smith and Rice. Not a great feeling. "That's about as bad as we can play," Harbaugh said during his halftime interview on WBAL. Yep.

The Ravens offense is still searching for a rhythm. That's putting it kindly. The starting offense couldn't manage a single sustained drive while playing the entire first half. John Harbaugh looked exasperated on the sideline. Jim Caldwell had a death stare going in the booth. It was bad. Fans have spent most of the preseason fretting about the receiving situation, which we'll get to in a minute. But equally concerning Thursday was the offensive line's inability to establish command at the line of scrimmage. Playing without its best performer, guard Marshal Yanda, the line did a decent job protecting Joe Flacco. But Ray Rice had little room to run and appeared frustrated with right tackle Michael Oher after he was stuffed in the backfield late in the second quarter. The line play should get instantly better when Yanda, the best right guard in the league, returns. But the tackles remain a concern, with Bryant McKinnie working his way into shape and Oher still prone to mistakes in his fifth season. As for the receivers, they remain a mystery. Brandon Stokley donned his Ravens uniform for the first time Thursday, but we got no sense of whether he's the safety blanket Flacco needs in the absence of Dennis Pitta and Anquan Boldin. In fact, Flacco didn't target the veteran slot receiver once. The Falcons game was potentially important for tight end Visanthe Shiancoe (above), with new signee Dallas Clark likely to snatch much of the first-unit playing time next week against the Carolina Panthers. Shiancoe didn't seize the moment, dropping the one pass Flacco tossed his way (to be fair, it was an awkward throw). Perhaps Flacco was driven by frustration when he tried to force a pass to Jacoby Jones late in the second quarter. The resulting interception set up the Falcons' second touchdown. Halfway through the preseason, we simply have no idea whom Flacco will rely on beyond Torrey Smith and Rice. Not a great feeling. "That's about as bad as we can play," Harbaugh said during his halftime interview on WBAL. Yep. (Karl Merton Ferron, Baltimore Sun)

The Ravens' linebackers are more dynamic than last year. The starting defense didn't post a strong statistical performance either, but the linebackers delivered glimpses of a brighter future. The pass rush was bound to be better, even if Terrell Suggs' health was the only improvement. But strong-side linebacker Elvis Dumervil showed Thursday why he's destined to become a crowd favorite at M&T Bank Stadium. Dumervil plays with tremendous fire, and he raced around the end to get in Matt Ryan's face twice on the Falcons' second possession. He and Suggs will be fun to watch. Fellow newcomer Daryl Smith offered a splendid complement to the rushers, picking up receivers in a way Ray Lewis no longer could last season. It already feels like old hat to say how smart the Ravens were to sign the versatile, productive Smith. But yeah, they were smart.

The Ravens' linebackers are more dynamic than last year. The starting defense didn't post a strong statistical performance either, but the linebackers delivered glimpses of a brighter future. The pass rush was bound to be better, even if Terrell Suggs' health was the only improvement. But strong-side linebacker Elvis Dumervil showed Thursday why he's destined to become a crowd favorite at M&T Bank Stadium. Dumervil plays with tremendous fire, and he raced around the end to get in Matt Ryan's face twice on the Falcons' second possession. He and Suggs will be fun to watch. Fellow newcomer Daryl Smith offered a splendid complement to the rushers, picking up receivers in a way Ray Lewis no longer could last season. It already feels like old hat to say how smart the Ravens were to sign the versatile, productive Smith. But yeah, they were smart. (Karl Merton Ferron, Baltimore Sun)